School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-7-Billy is not thrilled to be spending the summer in a cabin on a lake in the middle of nowhere. His mom and dad aren't together, and he's worried this change may be permanent. Their cabin is owned by Dr. Libris, who also owns the mysterious island in the lake. With a lack of technology, and bullies as neighbors, Billy resorts to searching for a key to open the bookcase in Dr. Libris' study. What he unlocks brings classic books to life-when he reads the books, he hears the action somehow occurring on the island. Curious, he ventures out to the island to explore and discovers the unbelievable-somehow the stories he is reading are actually happening. When he meets Hercules, Zeus, Robin Hood, Tom Sawyer, and others, he becomes embroiled in their adventures and unwittingly causes the storylines to collide. When Billy brings his neighbors, Walter, and Walter's sister, out to the island, they all face treacherous foes including the giant from Jack in the Beanstalk and a space lizard from Walter's comic book. Billy is left trying to figure out whether Dr. Libris is behind everything, whether his own mind may be the culprit, and whether or not he can use the island to help save his parents' marriage. While the plot is unique, the story feels too far-fetched to be believable, and lacks the magic of Grabenstein's Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library (Random, 2013).-Michele Shaw, Quail Run Elementary School, San Ramon, CA (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Billy is spending the summer in a cabin on a lake with no TV, internet, or video games. The cabin's owner, Dr. Libris, has a large collection of books that Billy is welcome to use if he can find the key to the bookcase cabinet. Needing distraction, Billy tackles puzzles in the library until he finds the key. He begins reading The Twelve Labors of Hercules when he looks up he notices an island in the middle of the lake where two enormous men are fighting; Billy conjured up Hercules and Antaeus simply by reading about them. Grabenstein mixes up a melange of characters from the books Billy (and eventually two neighbor children) reads, with Hercules, Robin Hood, the Three Musketeers, Maid Marian, and Pollyanna coming together in dangerous escapades. Even modern myths show up: video game creatures and wizards from trading cards. Reader Heyborne gives each a quirky trait that adds even more color to the story. For example, he gives Robin Hood a delightful over-the-top laugh; the Musketeers have recognizably French accents but are easily understandable; and the video game Space Lizard's ultra-hissy sibilant voice will give listeners shivers. Heyborne's performance conjures up the magic of literature and the excitement of summer. Ages 8-12. A Random hardcover. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.